It would be fair to say that 13 year old Alec's life is definitely not going to plan. His wheelchair bound dad is suffering more each day, and three bullies seem determined to make things as difficult as possible for him at school. Then, the discovery of an odd scratch card, and a visit to a shop that doesn't actually exist, changes his life completely. Magic, it seems, has decided to take an interest in Alec's life and that means all sorts of things are about to happen. But with the bullies giving him more and more attention, and the frighteningly mysterious 'shadow creatures' after him, can things really turn out as he wants them? And where exactly did the talking cat come from? Follow Alec as he casts spells, meets ghosts, takes midnight train journeys into the past, and tries his best to deal with all the problems in his difficult life.